I thought, ‘Man, if I could just get to Sacramento that would be it.’ That's literally how small my vision was.” My idols were a local band called The Spyders and they had gigged in Sacramento. “I had no vision at all,” he recalls now. It's been very rewarding.”Ĭastillo was only 17 years old when he met Kupka and started to assemble the band that would become Tower of Power. We've affected a lot of people's lives and done a lot of work that we're very proud of. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot along the way. “You can't believe it? I'm the one that can't believe it. “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Wow man, 50 years! We can't believe it,’” laughs Castillo. Adding a bittersweet tinge is the presence of founding bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia, who passed away in September 2020. They join the renowned modern line-up of the band, featuring co-founder Stephen “Doc” Kupka on baritone sax, longtime drummer David Garibaldi, and lead vocalist Marcus Scott. Fittingly for such a special occasion, Tower of Power went all out for these hometown shows, supplementing the core 10-piece band and its iconic horn section with additional horns and a string section.īandleader and saxophonist Emilio Castillo also invited back a few elite ToP alumni, including saxophonist Lenny Pickett (musical director of the Saturday Night Live band) keyboardist Chester Thompson (Santana) guitarist Bruce Conte and former vocalist Ray Greene, who shows off his trombone prowess. Released as a 3-LP set, a 2-CD/DVD combo, a standalone DVD, as well as digitally, 50 Years of Funk & Soul is the next best thing to hearing these brilliant musicians in person. Beginning in February, they'll visit over 20 markets in nearly a dozen states to celebrate the release of their recent album in commemoration of their 50th anniversary.Īvailable now from Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, the high-spirited live album and video offers a reminder of the communal joys of the live music experience, something that’s been sorely missed over this staggering pandemic year. Now, the legendary soul-funk-R&B group is set to return to the road with the first major tour since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit of ToP has been a balm for the soul throughout the band’s half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater – Oakland, CA – June 2018 couldn’t have come at a better time. In 2018, Tower of Power got together for two memorable evenings in Oakland, the city that started it all, to celebrate its landmark 50th anniversary with a few thousand friends, family and fans. The band, whose timeless classics such as “What Is Hip?” “So Very Hard to Go,” “You’re Still A Young Man,” and many more, have truly withstood the test of time. With this tour, spanning over 15 cities, Tower of Power returns to some of their favorite markets to bring their much needed inimitable blend of soul, funk, rock, R&B, and jazz to rejuvenate fans both old and new. The band was last on the road in the fall of 2021 but hasn’t paid a true visit to Florida or the Northeast since before 2020. Tower of Power, legendary Bay Area funk band, announces today their initial details surrounding a late winter / early spring 2022 tour one that will dip them down into Florida and select Northeastern markets for the first time since the onset of Covid in 2020.
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